Knicks, 76ers, Grizzlies Are Making NBA Bettors Plenty of Cash

NBA betting action is always tough, especially in the middle of the season now that the teams have really settled into their grooves. However, here at BetVega, we have all of the ins and outs as we head towards the midway point of the season for the teams that you should be watching out for and those that you should be avoiding like the plague going forward.

Smoking Hot

New York Knicks (22-16 SU, 25-12-1 ATS) – The Knicks still have the best ATS record in the land at 25-12-1, and they are really in a position where they might still be able to contend in the Atlantic Division with the Boston Celtics. All it’s going to take is a little more sweet talking to the Denver Nuggets to reel in Carmelo Anthony.

Philadelphia 76ers (15-23 SU, 24-13-1 ATS) – Doug Collins is doing a great job keeping his team competitive, and he knows that, especially in the Eastern Conference, there is no such thing as a team that is totally out of the playoff picture. The Sixers are in games virtually every single night, and they’re still taking advantage of the oddsmakers in a huge way.

Memphis Grizzlies (19-20 SU, 23-15-1 ATS) – The Grizzlies are interesting players right now in the ‘Melo fiasco, as they really could be the key to getting a deal done. The problem with this team this season is that OJ Mayo has fallen out of favor, and he is likely to be dealt soon. Memphis would love to get a key piece to the puzzle back to help it make the playoffs this year, but in the event that that doesn’t happen, NBA betting fans can still rest assured that this team is a real ATS dynamo at eight games over .500.

Ice Cold

Cleveland Cavaliers (8-30 SU, 13-24-1 ATS) – It’s really sad when the only thing that Cavs fans can smile at right now is the fact that LeBron James hurt his ankle and that the Miami Heat have lost two games in a row. Aside from that, this team has been the biggest embarrassment in the NBA, especially after getting trounced by 55 by the Lakers at Staples Center.

Sacramento Kings (8-28 SU, 12-23-1 ATS) – It’s darn near impossible to just continually be this bad, right? The Kings just aren’t taking any steps in the right direction, and though they did win a nationally televised battle on the NBA odds against the Denver Nuggets just over a week ago, they don’t have anything else to really be proud of this year.

Phoenix Suns (16-21 SU, 13-22-2 ATS) – If you want to look up the definition of a terrible deal in the dictionary, what the Suns pulled off in December with the Orlando Magic is going to be right there at the forefront. Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat really still look lost running at the frenetic pace of the Suns, and it is only a matter of time before Steve Nash gets fed up and wants out. If he leaves, these guys don’t stand a chance in NBA betting action.

NBA Betting ATS Who’s Hot and Who’s Not

NBA betting action is always tough, especially in the middle of the season now that the teams have really settled into their grooves. However, here at BetVega, we have all of the ins and outs as we head towards the midway point of the season for the teams that you should be watching out for and those that you should be avoiding like the plague moving forward.

Smoking Hot

New York Knicks (14-9 SU, 15-7-1 ATS) – There isn’t a team in the NBA that has done a better job of covering NBA spreads lately than the Knickerbockers. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni is clearly the frontrunner for Coach of the Year right now, as he has guided this team from the depths of nothingness to a legit contender in the East. New York has gone 11-1 SU in its L/12 and 10-3 ATS in its L/13.

Philadelphia 76ers (7-15 SU, 14-7-1 ATS) – We know that you are scratching your head as to why the 76ers are on the hot list this week. It’s true that they sport one of the worst teams in the game, but they also have one of the top ATS records because of their grit. This is a team that is very, very deep, and with Elton Brand looking like a star again, the Sixers can sneak up on you if you’re not careful.

San Antonio Spurs (18-3 SU, 13-7-1 ATS) – Not only are the Spurs sporting the best overall record in the league, but they have some of the best marks against the NBA odds as well. Tim Duncan and company are well on their way to a dominating season out West in which good things are expected in the playoffs. Gregg Popovich has done a tremendous job in an incredibly difficult division.

Ice Cold

Sacramento Kings (5-15 SU, 6-14 ATS) – No one really expected the Kings to be able to get into the playoffs this year, but after drafting DeMarcus Cousins and adding him to the already exciting fold, Sacramento was at least expected to compete. Now, the only thing exciting for NBA betting fans involved with the Kings is the fact that the Maloof brothers are probably spending more time trying to bulk up their casinos.

Denver Nuggets (13-8 SU, 6-13-2 ATS) – Say what you want with Carmelo Anthony. He might not be hurting the efforts of his Nuggets, but he is destroying the bankrolls of NBA bettors. The Nuggs are still one of the better teams out West, but they have a lot of work to do to start covering numbers, especially on the road, where they only have three wins all season long.

Milwaukee Bucks (8-13 SU, 6-13-2 ATS) – Last year, the Bucks went on a great tear down the stretch and made it into the playoffs. This year, they are just floundering terribly. Though they would still be competing for a postseason bid, they have an atrocious mark for NBA betting fans, and if Scott Skiles doesn’t get his act together, he might be in some real trouble.

NBA Betting: NBA’s Best ATS Playoff Teams

The 2010 NBA betting season is coming down the home stretch with only the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers series having gone undecided. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Orlando Magic have already punched their tickets to their respective conference finals.

With that being the case, I thought it would be interesting to see how these teams stack up against one another against the closing NBA point spreads in the post-season.

The best of the bunch has clearly been the Orlando Magic who have played a total of eight games and gone a sportsbook pummeling7-1 SU & ATS in those outings. The lone defeat came by a single bucket in Game 1 of their 1st round series against the division rival Charlotte Bobcats.

They’re average margin of defeat has been a whopping 17.2 PPG. It was clearly evident that Atlanta didn’t deserve to even share the same court with them after getting rolled up and smoked in all four battles. Orlando barely broke a sweat as it pummeled the Hawks by an average of 25.3 PPG.

The other team to make some nice coin for NBA bettors in the post-season has been the Steve Nash led Phoenix Suns. HC Alvin Gentry’s club has gone 8-2 SU & ATS in their ten games played against the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.

Many had them pegged to once again fall to Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the teams Western Conference Semifinals match-up, but oddsmakers were correct in installing them the favorites after they pulled off the shocking sweep.

Since splitting its first four against the Blazers both SU & ATS, the Suns are currently on a six game winning streak both SU & ATS covering as favorites and underdogs three times each.

Like the Suns, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers have only had to play ten games in the post-season after it just made quick work of the Utah Jazz in the 2nd round of the basketball betting playoffs.

Kobe and company got a much tougher test in the 1st round against the Oklahoma City Thunder evidenced by the fact that it took six games to dispose of Durant and company. Maybe Deron Williams and the Jazz expended too much energy in the 1st round vs. the Nuggets or the loss of Mehmut Okur was more of an issue against LA for it to be that easy. Regardless, you have to hand it to HC Phil Jackson’s crew for going into the Energy Solutions Arena, a place Utah stood 35-9 SU in at the onset of the series, and coming away with a pair of outright victories as short underdogs.

Though its series with Cleveland is still yet to be decided with Game 6 going Thursday night in Boston, the Celtics have been solid bets for their backers in the post-season. They’re 7-3 SU & ATS and just like in the regular season, they’ve continued to excel on the road going 3-2 SU & ATS as a visitor; most recently picking up a huge 120-88 outright road win and cover as 7.5 point underdogs in Game 5.

As for Cleveland, it’s been largely unimpressive and failed to live up to its top billing at the onset of the second season. It got tested mightily by #8 seeded Chicago in the 1st round, and though it only took five games to dispose of the Bulls, Cleveland managed covers in just two of the three games.

LeBron and company have gone just 3-6 ATS the nine times it was favored this post-season. They pounded the Celtics 124-95 as one-point underdogs in Game 3, and they find themselves in that exact same role heading into Thursday night’s game.